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Figure 1 | Critical Care

Figure 1

From: Bench-to-bedside review: Inhaled nitric oxide therapy in adults

Figure 1

New paradigm of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) action. This figure illustrates the interactions between inhaled NO and the contents of the pulmonary capillaries. Previously, NO was considered to be inactivated by haemoglobin (Hb), and now it is recognised that, both through the interaction of Hb with NO and the formation of S-nitrosylated-Hb (SNO-Hb) and through the nitrosylation of plasma proteins and the formation of nitrite, the inhaled NO has effects downstream to the lungs. SMC, smooth muscle cell.

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Critical Care

ISSN: 1364-8535